Children have hands-on fun with science, math, engineering

AVON -- Learning science, technology, engineering and math may not be the ideal way to spend a summer vacation for most, but for 106 students at Heritage South Elementary, the idea was both fun and inventive.

Camp Invention returned to Heritage South the week of June 10, offering children in first-through-sixth-grades the chance to participate in an all-new Geo-Quest curriculum.

The curriculum was spread across five modules that prompted enthusiastic campers to take part in a variety of activities promoting teamwork, problem-solving and innovation.

All of the modules were tied together under the universal theme of geography.

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Camp Director Melanie Whiting said that the week-long science program, now in its seventh year, has always been a popular event for children throughout the county.

"Camp Invention is open to students in any school, not just Heritage South," Whiting said. "It's a program that has been very well-received not only by kids participating, but also by parents who find their children excited to tell them about the cool and interesting things they learned and created each day."

Students sat in a circle in anticipation of the camp's first unit, the Geo-Games module, which allowed campers to play an assortment of international games.

"A lot of campers like the Geo-Games module because it exposes them to different cultures and the kinds of games people play in other parts of the world," Whiting said. "It's educational and extremely fun for the kids."

Students engaged in the I Can Invent: Launchitude module found themselves using engineering and physics to create duck chucking devices using elements of household items.

The children used the chucking devices to launch rubber ducks 10 feet in the air to their assigned country of origin and racing to destroy competitor duck territory.

The Ecoverse module took students on a quest to explore the elements of the Earth underwater, in the sky, on land and underground.

Campers assembled into teams, designing and inventing different tools that revealed hidden messages in order to discover nature's patterns.

"The kids just wrapped up a volcano activity where we created magma to show how the Earth's tectonic plates shift," camp instructor Miss Allsop said. "They also made a seismoscope out of recyclable material that can be used to detect earthquakes."

Campers participating in the Amazing Atlas Games module learned all about acids, bases, and neutrals, and even got to work their way through a string obstacle maze.

"I've been pleasantly surprised by what the younger students are able to take away from this module," Whiting said. "The information thrown at them is not necessarily easy to understand at first, but they make it seem easy. I'm really impressed with how much these kids are willing to learn and retain."

In the Cache Dash module, children worked in teams to develop solutions to global problems.

"Some of the teams are trying to find a solution for the overcrowding in Singapore while others are try to figure out how to bring rubbish down the coastline of the Honduras," Whiting said. "I think this module is great because it forces the children to work together, think outside themselves, and attempt to solve real-world problems."

On the last day of camp, Whiting said parents and family members are invited to the school for an Inventors Showcase that displays all the work the campers have done throughout the week.

"The kids get really excited about the Inventors Showcase because most of the work we do here is done in groups so they really can't take their inventions home at the end of the day," Whiting said. "The showcase offers them the chance to show their parents and friends all that they have learned and created during the week. It's truly my favorite day of camp because I get to see how proud the children are of their inventions and how proud parents are of their children."

The program is funded by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and inspired by inductees of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Since Camp Invention's beginning, the program has grown to embrace more than 1,200 school partnerships across 49 states. Regional program supporters include the Nordson Foundation, The Jochum-Moll Foundation, The Community Foundation of Lorain County, and Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.